Who won the inaugural PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award in 1990?

Who won the inaugural PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award in 1990? Robert Gamez did.

Gamez made an immediate impression during his first full PGA Tour season. The University of Arizona product won the Northern Telecom Tucson Open in January 1990, his first official start as a tour member, defeating Mark Calcavecchia by four strokes. He later captured the Nestle Invitational at Bay Hill with one of the season’s most memorable finishes.

At the 72nd hole in Orlando, Gamez trailed but holed a 7-iron from 176 yards for an eagle two. The shot gave him a one-stroke victory over Greg Norman and helped produce two wins and $461,407 in official earnings. Those results led to his Rookie of the Year honor.

The common mix-up is with Gamez’s major amateur awards: in 1989 he won both the Jack Nicklaus Award and Fred Haskins Award as the leading college golfer. Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh and John Daly were important PGA Tour players, but none won this 1990 rookie honor.